WTF!? News

A New York City sanitation worker with 24 years on the job was forced out after he was caught accepting a $20 tip, the New York Daily News reports.

Lenworth Dixon, 56, was also forced to pay a $1,500 fine, according to the Daily News, which cited a recent ruling from New York City's Conflict of Interest Board. The incident took place in September and involved a "large amount of wood, furniture, and other 'bulk refuse,'" the Daily News reported.

CBS New York reports that Dixon had earned a salary of $73,000 per year.

Last year, two workers were forced into retirement after they were caught accepting $5 tips each from a grateful New Yorker. The two men were also fined $2,000 each, according to the New York Times.

The official site for the New York City Department of Sanitation hosts a rulebook (PDF) that states tips and bribes are big no-nos in the Big Apple.

Via NYC.gov:

Collection of residential refuse, recyclables and residential bulk is provided FREE to New York City residents by the DSNY. Employees of the DSNY are absolutely prohibited from asking for or receiving money or any other benefit in connection with their official duties. The law provides very serious penalties for bribery. A person who offers a bribe and the person receiving it are violating the law and may be subject to prison terms.

The city provides an anonymous phone line for people who want to report suspected tips or bribes to sanitation workers.